Wall-slab.



PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

1). E. ROBERTS.

WALL SLAB.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 15. 1903.

fnvento film i M0 No. 783,544t.

Patented February 28, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID E. ROBERTS, OF FORT DODGE, IOWA.

WALL-SLAE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,544, dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed December 16 1903. Serial No. 185,215.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be itknown thatI, DAVID E. Ron ER'IS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Dodge, in the county of Webster and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Wall-Slab, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a wall-slab of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction which will not warp or lose its shape, and thus prevent the cracking of the plaster in the walls in which the wall-slab is placed, and to prevent lath buckling, which is often prevalent with the ordinary wood laths.

A further object is to provide a wall -slab which can be easily and readily made into any desirable shape and size and which can be easily attached to the walls of a house, whether these walls are of brick, wood, or other material, and which will not absorb the moisture, owing to the way in which they are con structed, and thus in the use of these wallslabs the danger of having the wall crack or become discolored by the absorption of moisture by the wall-slab, which is often prevalent in the use of the wooden lath now on the market, is obviated, inasmuch as these wallslabs are made moisture-proof.

A further object is to provide a wall-slab of this kind which will obviate the necessity of having to place the wall-slabs some distance apart to hold the plaster to the wall-slab on account of the coarse burlap which is placed on one side of the wall-slab.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as

. hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out which my wall-slabs are designed to be attached.

The reference-n umeral 1 1 indicates the flooring-timbers to which my wall-slabs are designed to be attached for forming the ceiling. Referring to the wall-slab proper, I have designated the body portion of it by the numeral l2, and this portion is made oil. a mixture of cement, stucco, and fiber or other sub stances of a similar nature which will be strong enough so that it will not be easily broken when being placed upon the timbers of the room in which the slab is to be used. The constituency of the material, which is prefer ably composed of cement, stucco, and fiber, is such that the material will not be easily broken when hardened by drying and a solid andfirm wall-slab will be provided, so that this can be easily nailed to the Wall-timbers and there will be no danger of the slab be coming loosened after it is nailed to the walltimber. Attached to the rear of the body portion 12 is a paper lining 13, having a tarred portion 14. on its rear surface. Felt or other substance may be used in place of this tarred paper; but I consider it preferable to use this material, as it is moisture-proof, and thus the dampness will be kept out of the house by my wall-slabs. On the exterior of the body portion 12 is a lining of burlap 15 of very coarse material and is made in this way so that it is adapted to maintain the plaster on its exterior, and because of its coarseness the plaster will enter the burlap 15 and be held in position and form a'solid wall-surface.

These wall-slabs are designed to be held rigidly to the wall-surfaces and to the flooring-timbers by means of the nails 16. The wall-slabs are designed to be held in position relative to each other by means of overlapping joints.

These wall-slabs are usually made from onefourth'to three-fourths of an inch in thickness and about three feet in width, with their length varying according to the amount of wall-space which is to be covered, and are made so that they overlap each other at the points, and thus form an absolutely moistureprooi' protection for the plastering.

'II-Iaving thus described my invention, what 3. A Wall-slab comprising a body portion of a considerable thickness composed of cement, stucco and fiber, a thin moisture-proof substance secured on the back surface of the body portion and completely covering it, a coarse fabric attached to the front side of the body portion adapted to receive plaster and hold plaster securely to the Wall-slab.

DAVID E. ROBERTS. \Vitnesses:

C. HOFER, STYMnsT STEVENSON. 

